Escape to Each Other

Recently, I read a post on Facebook asking people why they read. Most answered that it was either a form of escape or a way to gather information. It got me thinking about why I write. I had to really sit with the question for a few days before I could fully answer it. There are several reasons I write. Yes, it’s a creative outlet, an incredible challenge and a way to grow as a person; but for me, it’s also an escape. Like most women, my life can be very stressful and frustrating at times. Most days as a mom, I don’t have control over my time and end up working around my family’s schedules, activities and illnesses. When I sit at my computer, though, I’m able to disappear into my imaginary world with my characters and experience an entirely new life. I can laugh and cry and be in control over the entire world. Aahh, what a luxury!

And what do I hope you get out of reading my stories? I hope you disappear into the world I’ve created and love it there. I hope you fall in love and laugh and cry and get a bit steamed up from time to time. I hope you come away looking at some aspect of life in a slightly different way. Mainly, I hope you escape your everyday worries and stresses and responsibilities. I hope you get a chance to really relax and close the book feeling recharged and happy.

Why did I choose to write romance? Because I believe in love and the power that it holds. I believe in happily-ever-afters and in seventy-year marriages and couples who still gaze into each other’s eyes long after their looks have faded. I want that for every single one of my friends, family members and readers. I want you to find the type of love that lasts a lifetime.

My series of blog posts over the past year and a half are about romance and how to keep the love alive. While I am happy if you escape into a great book, I also hope you escape into your loved one. As often as possible.

I know this can be hard. The bills and the laundry may be piling up. The kids need to be chauffeured to endless activities, and you’ve got a million other things on your to-do list. I get that. My life is like that as well. But let’s imagine for a moment that none of those things matter as much as staying deeply connected with the person with whom you are building your life. If it were your last week on this planet, how would you spend your time?

I know we can’t live in a dream world every day, but what about a little bit of the time each week? What if you and your husband make a commitment to shut out reality together and just get lost in each other for an hour or an evening or twenty minutes, if that’s all you’ve got today?

I propose that we all do this. Even if it means you clear a spot at the table just big enough for the two of you and have the light of only one candle so you can’t see the mess around you. Or you go sit in the yard on a warm evening and hold hands and stare at the stars. Unplug. Disconnect from the world and just be. Ignore the problems facing you, and just enjoy each other’s company. Remind yourselves of why you fell in love in the first place.

We crave this connection, so make time for it. Escape to each other. Fall in love again. Repeat until you live happily ever after.